Wigan Warriors have confirmed that Joe Burgess will re-join the club from December this year on a three-year contract.
Burgess returns to Wigan from NRL side Sydney Roosters and will be Josh Charnley’s replacement when the winger heads to rugby union.
Wigan Warriors Chairman, Ian Lenagan, said: “We were disappointed when Joe decided to leave for the NRL after spending many years developing his talents in the Wigan Academy. As with any player that leaves the club, we maintained a good relationship with Joe and made it clear that he would always be welcome back at Wigan if the opportunity should arise.
“When planning for the 2017 season and exploring options to replace Josh Charnley, we acted swiftly when we knew that Joe was available. He remains one of the finest young English talents in Rugby League and we believe that his talent will become even more obvious in his next three years at Wigan.
“We are delighted to welcome him back.”
“I’m proud to say that I had a go at the NRL,” Burgess said. “It didn’t go perfectly to plan and I’d definitely consider giving it another go but, for now, I’m looking forward to coming home. I really want to win some silverware with my hometown club and that is definitely the aim when I return.
“I’m also looking forward to enjoying some of my mum’s cooking!”
Wigan Warriors head coach Shaun Wane, added: “As a coaching group we are thrilled to have Joe back with us for next season. He is a talented young winger and his try-scoring record whilst in the Wigan first team speaks for itself.
“When he left at the end of 2015, Joe was arguably the best winger in the competition and was capped by England. A year in Australia will have helped him improve even further and, at the age of 21, he has his best years ahead of him. The players and staff look forward to welcoming Joe back into the team and wish him well for the remainder of this year.”